Nicholson Baker and “Substitute: Going to School With a Thousand Kids”
Nicholson Baker --- “Vox,” “The Fermata,” and “Human Smoke” -- has a new book called “Substitute: Going to School With a Thousand Kids,” which chronicles his stint substitute teaching in Maine’s elementary, middle and high schools. I get a chance to talk to Baker about his book for the Boston Globe.
On GeekBeatRadio to talk about Dungeons & Dragons, Stranger Things and my recent TEDx Talk
Thrilled to be on geekbeatradio talking about Dungeons & Dragons, Stranger Things and my recent TEDx Talk. Listen at here.
The business of nerds
Fandom is big business. Boston Comic Con, one of the region’s largest gatherings of science fiction, horror, fantasy, and comic book fans, is no exception. But how much money does a convention bring to a city like Boston when it rolls into town? My story for the Boston Globe explains.
The '80s, 'D&D' And Pre-Tech Nostalgia Return In 'Stranger Things'
50 Years On, 'Star Trek' Fandom Continues To Prosper
Fifty years ago, "Star Trek" aired across the country Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty and the crew of the Starship Enterprise. What's behind the franchise's enduring appeal, and why is Boston such a Trekkie haven? I appeared on WBUR's Radio Boston to discuss. Listen here.
The seductive nostalgia of “Stranger Things”
Over at Salon, I wrote a piece called "Just like ’80s nerd heaven: The seductive nostalgia of “Stranger Things” — and my unexpected ambivalence" that explore how Netflix's supernatural show raids my childhood pop-culture loves, from D&D to E.T. — and I admit, I felt conflicted.
Why D&D is good for you: the podcast
The folks at Wizards of the Coast, aka D&D headquarters, kindly invited me to be on their Dragon Talk podcats to pax poetic about D&D and why it's so good for you. Hope you enjoy. You can also grab it on iTunes here.
William Shatner on “fandom frenzy” and 50 years of “Star Trek
In this story and Q&A for Salon, I speak to William Shatner about being "Forever Captain Kirk"; he opens up about “fandom frenzy” and 50 years of “Star Trek."
I gave a TedX talk "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)"
I gave a TedX talk entitled "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)."
I'm pretty happy with how it came out and I think the positive message about D&D is important to spread. So I'd truly love your help in getting the word out. The more views it gets, and social media likes/retweets/shares it gets, the better chance it has of being featured on the Ted site, which would help prove to the world the game's amazing impact on people's lives. Thanks for watching and helping to spread the word.
A kind review
Erik Schmidt, over at the fantastic site Learn Tabletop RPGs, was kind enough to review Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, and had these kind words to say about my book. Thank you, Erik.
Blue Man Group goes on ... and on ...
Blue Man Group began in New York City in 1991; four years later, Boston became the first satellite venue. Today, Blue Man Group Boston continues its astounding run, 21 years and 9,848 performances later, and counting. As the years pass, Boston’s cast and crew have played an increasingly key role in building the Blue Man Group empire. Read the rest of my story for the Boston Globe here.
NY Times doc features my 1981 D&D gang
This The New York Times documentary about D&D and the "Satanic Panic" features two tiny clips from a Super 8 movie I filmed of my old D&D group back in 1981. You'll see us at minute 00:20 and at minute 08:25. Yes, we were (as their expert says over a clip of my old gang rolling dice and goofing off) “the kind of kids and young people who didn’t go to dances or date on the weekends." But we rocked it. Also featuring npted writers Junot Díaz and Cory Doctorow, talking about how D&D was instrumental to their careers, former D&D editor Tim Kask, and private investigator William Dear, who investigated the famous disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III, supposedly caused by D&D.
Making beasts “walk like you, talk like you, ooh-bi-doo."
I talk to Jon Favreau about his new remake of The Jungle Book and how he got his beasts to “walk like you, talk like you, ooh-bi-doo.” More on that over at the Boston Globe.
You can't escape escape rooms
What is an escape room? I found out reporting on this story for the Boston Globe.
A review of Tolkien's “The Story of Kullervo”
My review of “The Story of Kullervo," an unfinsihed story by J.R.R. Tolkien based on six chapters, or “runos,” from “The Kalevala,” an epic poem compiled from Finnish oral folklore. Drafted sometime from 1912 to 1916, when Tolkien was in his 20s, his version represents the then-poet and philologist’s baby steps toward prose storytelling. Read the rest over at the Boston Globe.
What makes superheroes so super?
So why have superhero yarns become among the most reliable of money-makers? The way I see it, the superhero genre speaks to many of our culture’s pent-up voices and internal desires. Over at WBUR's TheARTERY, I talk about why.
Headline: Nerd appears at TedX
Excited to appear at TEDxPiscataquaRiver in Portsmouth NH on May 6 alongside illustrious fellow speakers Steve Almond, Maxine Bédat, Zand Martin, Tina Nadeau, Jeff Sharlet, Skylar Bayer, Jennifer Dunn, Robert Eckstein, Muskan Kumari, amd Sam Rosen. My talk will be (something like) “How Dungeons & Dragons Makes You a Better Person.”
Batman vs. Superman Smackdown!
In this 3-parter in The Boston Globe, I give you (almost) everything you wanted to know about Batman and Superman, in advance the new “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" movie, including: 1) a look at the new movie in the context of previous Batman and Superman films (and if Affleck is up to the task of being the Caped Crusader); 2) an overview of “Batman and Superman at the movies” and 3) a Batman/Superman fact sheet.
Why I'm against online comment forums
Why am I against online comment forums? Increasingly, I see ad hominem attacks, “you’re a loser” name-calling, and Donald Trump-style playground insults --- all of which have come to pass for grown-up debate in America. Read the rest over on WBUR's Cognoscenti.
